The fruits of medlar taste like a mixture of sweet, delicate pears and sour cherries, they are very juicy and healthy. In America, medlar is grown as an ornamental plant that blooms beautifully in winter. In China, a tree is valued as a fruit crop. There are varieties that grow, bloom and bear fruit in greenhouses and living quarters.
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Description, types and varieties
Japanese medlar came to Europe, the USA and Japan from China. This evergreen subtropical fruit plant from the family Rosaceae belongs to the genus Eriobotria. Inside the medlar 3 or 4 large bones. Tasty fruit of a beautiful orange or yellow color, fleshy, juicy and low-calorie. It contains a lot of fiber, potassium and vitamin A. About 30 varieties of Japanese medlar are known.
Popular varieties:
- Thales;
- Diet;
- Premier
- Advons;
- Champagne
- Tanaka.
German medlar also belongs to the family Rosaceae, the genus Medlar. This deciduous tree, its sour reddish-brown fruits, somewhat resemble a large rosehip. They are suitable for food only after frostbite or long storage. The tree blooms in late spring, bears fruit in the fall. Azerbaijan has been grown for more than 3 thousand years.
The described varieties of medlar are thermophilic. As indoor culture, only medlar is popular. In China, more than thousands of varieties of this tree are known, in Japan about 100.
The nuances of growing a fruiting tree
The health benefits of medlar attract the attention of generations. One tree gives up to 150 kg of fruit. The Japanese variety has beautiful, large leaves, it can bloom and bear fruit at home. The tree begins to bloom in November - December, the fruits ripen in late May or June.
Crimean medlar blooms in late February, early March, and bears fruit in June-July. The flowers are white or yellowish with a pleasant delicate aroma collected at the ends of the shoots in panicles. In appearance, they are somewhat reminiscent of chestnut inflorescences. The fruits begin to ripen in March or April, not all at once, but gradually, over a month and a half. Green medlar can not be ripped off, it does not ripen. For fruiting the tree needs a warm winter. If the air temperature is below 0 ° C, the flowers will not turn into ovaries, but simply fall off.
How to germinate a medlar seed at home
The medlar fruit quickly deteriorates, so it is not sold in stores. From April to June, you can buy ripe fruits in the markets of Moscow. And also purchase by going to a resort in Turkey, Israel or another warm country.
Germination of the seeds of medlar 100%. But they need to be immediately planted in the soil, you can not store more than 3 days.
For planting, universal soil is slightly acidic or neutral. Expanded clay drainage is placed at the bottom of the pot, soil is poured, not very fresh bone is placed, not forgetting to water.
Planting medlar in open ground
Seedlings are planted in open ground. Growing medlar in the garden is possible only in the southern regions, at -23 ° C the tree dies. Favorable moderate humidity, air temperature from 2 to 20 degrees.
Culture grows in Turkey, Israel, on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and in Crimea. The ripening time of fruits depends on the region, for example, medlar Caucasian fruiting in April-May.
Landing technology
A transplanted seedling grown independently or purchased in a garden center is transplanted into open ground. It is desirable that he has a closed root system.
A young tree is transplanted from the container along with an earthen lump. A hole is made a little larger than the size of the container in which it grows. The root neck is not buried, it should remain at the level of the soil. Before planting, well-rotted compost or humus is added to the hole, mix it with the ground. A sapling is tied to a peg if it has a thin trunk, watering well after planting.
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Soil requirements
The plant is undemanding to the soil, can grow well even on heavy loam. Prefers slightly acidic or neutral soil. For good fruiting, it is desirable that the soil is fertile, not retain water.
How to care for medlar at home
Caring for medlar is simple, the tree is unpretentious, can grow well both in the sun and in shading. For flowering and fruiting, it is necessary to create optimal growing conditions. In the nursery you can buy a 4-year-old seedling, which will bloom in the year of purchase.
Medlar is a self-pollinating plant, for the formation of fruits after flowering, it does not need pollinating insects.
Eriobotria does not branch, new branches when the growth point is removed are formed only from the sinuses of the upper leaves. To form a small tree, pinch the top as early as possible.
Proper watering at different times of the year
Watering medlar Japanese in summer should be plentiful, moderate in winter. The water is used standing, passed through a filter or spring, at room temperature.
A plant loves spraying on leaves. With insufficient watering, the lower leaves may fall, and the decorativeness of the tree will decrease. After watering, the earth in a flower pot is loosened so that the roots “breathe”.
How to fertilize and feed a tree
Medlar is fed in spring and summer with mullein infusion, if it grows on a personal plot.At room conditions, the tree is rich in complex mineral fertilizers, in which potassium and phosphorus predominate. These elements are necessary for the plant to bloom and bear fruit. In the summer, they feed 2 times a month, in the winter, the crusts stop.
Medlar transplant
Medlar is transplanted to the open ground only in warm regions, where in winter the air temperature does not drop below -10 ° C. This is done when the plant reaches 4 or 5 years of age.
A houseplant is replanted once every 2-3 years as the root system grows. For transplantation, take a pot of slightly larger volume than the previous one.
Expanded clay drainage is placed at the bottom, a little universal soil is poured. The plant is removed from the old pot, and carefully, without shaking the ground strongly from the roots, they are moved to a new container. Fill the voids with earth, and well watered. A large two-meter tree is not transplanted, but the topsoil is removed annually and replaced with fresh soil.
Medlar breeding
The plant is propagated by seeds and cuttings. For seeds of German medlar, stratification is required before planting. The bones of Japanese medlar can be planted immediately or after soaking in moist soil.
Seed propagation method
Seedlings can be grown from fresh seeds soaked previously for 24 hours. Fruiting with this cultivation occurs only at 4 or 8 years. The planted seed does not require special care, you must not forget to water it. Growth stimulants can be added to water for irrigation.
Cuttings
Cuttings tree propagated at a temperature of 10 ° C. You can plant medlar cuttings on a pear, hawthorn and other trees, or root in the substrate.
Cut cuttings from the top of the shoots are treated with a growth stimulator, and placed in a moist, light substrate. The lower leaves are torn off, watered by the stalk, and covered with a jar or a transparent bag, put in a bright, warm place. When the branch takes root, the jar is removed.
Tree propagation by layering
Medlar is not propagated by layering. This method can be tested on a houseplant, in which the branches are low lowered to the ground. At the alleged layering, the bark is cut, sprinkled with earth and crushed with something, not separating from the mother plant. About two months later, if the branch takes root, it is cut off with secateurs and transplanted into a separate pot.
Diseases, pests and methods of dealing with them
Medlar can be affected by insect pests, especially if it grows in the garden. If insect pests settle on the leaves, the tree is sprayed with systemic insecticides. For the culture, scale insects and soot fungus are harmful, which settle on their secretions.
The disease contributes to improper care of the plant - insufficient or excessive watering. With waterlogging of the substrate or its drying out, various types of leaf spot appear.
With stagnation of moisture in the soil, the root system rots, this can be determined by the withering of the leaves and the unpleasant smell from the ground in the pot.
The diseased plant must be transplanted immediately, replacing the soil and the pot. Rinse the roots with warm water, and cut off the rotted ones, treat with a fungicide solution.
